180 OUE COMMON TETJITS. 



Orange: by Bisso, however, this is classed among the 

 lemons, under the name of Limonia digital The Citron 

 is laid upon fine vessels of porcelain in the sitting-rooms 

 of the Chinese for the sake of its agreeable perfume, 

 and was also carried about by the Hebrew women of 

 olden time to'serve the purposes of a scent-bottle and 

 " comfort " the languishing. The Jews in some countries 

 still attend their synagogues on the Feast of Tabernacles 

 bearing these fruits in their hands, a custom mentioned 

 by Josephus, and to which they attach much importance. 

 It is derived from the passage in Leviticus, xxiii. 40, in 

 which they are told, " Take you on the first day the 

 boughs of goodly trees," &c. ; and the Citron being the 

 " goodliest" tree with which they were acquainted, is sup- 

 posed to have been the origin of its being thus appro- 

 priated. The wood of this tree was considered so precious 

 during the days of Roman tablomania, that Martial says 

 a table of gold cost less in his time than a table of citron 

 wood, and this is confirmed by Petronius mentioning that 

 the Assyrians were astonished at receiving so much gold 

 in exchange for their wood whenever the planks were of 

 a size fit to form tables. 



The normal shape of the Lemon, like its last-named 

 larger relative, is that of an ellipse with a protuberance 

 like a nipple at the extremity, but, as with the other 

 brethren of its family, from this familiar figure it offers 

 many diversities, being sometimes lobed or channeled, 

 ovoid, pear-shaped, spindle-shaped, or even round, while 

 1'Able Prevost affirms that in the isle of TeneriiFe are 

 found lemons which contain another smaller fruit within 

 the outer one which first meets the eye, and which has 

 thence received the name of Pregnando. A. native of 

 India, the Lemon was brought westward during the in- 

 vasions of the caliphs, and being found in Syria by the 

 Crusaders, was by them introduced into Italy, though it 

 is believed that it had previously found its way both into 



* He says, too, that the same plant often produces still greater monstro- 

 sities, Ferraris having figured one which resembled two hands clasped to- 

 gether, and he himself having seen one which was very like a bird in shape, 

 and another like a crab. 



